Rockets get Asik as Bulls don’t match offer sheet

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The Rockets won’t have to wait for a late night call to know they have landed their center: Omer Asik.

“I’m really looking forward to working with Omer,” Rockets coach Kevin McHale said in the team’s release confirming their latest acquisition. “I’ve admired his physical style of play over the past two seasons as he’s made the transition to the NBA. In his limited minutes, he has proved himself to be an exceptional defensive post player and we will be working with him to continue his progress. Omer has a great understanding of how to play defense and how to move without the ball and I know he will fit in very well with our needs in the low post.”

The Bulls decided not to match the Rockets’ offer sheet for Asik and made their official decision a little more quickly than the Knicks did last week with Jeremy Lin.

The Rockets had made Asik among their top free agent targets, meeting with him in Los Angeles at the first moment contact was permitted. He will sign a three-year, $25.1 million contract. It will count $8.36 million each season toward the Rockets’ salary cap.

An elite defensive center both in pick-and-roll and at the rim, Asik averaged 3.1 points and 5.3 rebounds in 14.7 minutes per game last season.

“We are excited to add Omer to our roster,” said Rockets GM Daryl Morey. “Omer has proven to be a defensive force at every stop in his career – in the Turkish league, in FIBA’s World Championships and EuroBasket competitions, and of course for the past two years for the Chicago Bulls. We are excited to add his rim protection, his rebounding, and the defensive mentality Omer brings to each play.”

“We have decided not to match Houston’s offer sheet for restricted free agent Omer Asik,” Bulls general manager Gar Forman told the team’s website. “It was a difficult decision because Omer did a nice job for us. Matching the offer for Omer could have put us in a difficult position going forward in trying to acquire high level talent. We wish Omer good luck and continued success.”